Full time job advert - asking if they'll consider part time

[LindaLooky]

Is it even worth asking? Wouldnt they have said in the advert if they were open to that?

I'm desperate for a new job. Im so stressed in my current one, I cant sleep and feel tearful whenever i talk about work (feel bullied).

I'm a lone parent with 7yo and no family support. Theres no after school club. I'd really like to keep my part time hours so I dont have to pay a fortune for childcare, but part time jobs that pay enough to cover my bills are like hens teeth.

I feel a bit ridiculous ringing people to see if the full time job they advertise would accept a part time person. Has doing that actually paid off for anyone?

I am currently trying to recruit people. I would definitely like a good candidate to ask about part-time, we would consider it.

Honestly, its common for people these days to not get a reply saying “you’ve been unsuccessful” even if they fit every criteria so I can’t imagine a company taking a consideration like that when it’s not what they’ve advertised. I would say it doesn’t hurt to ask, but actually, in the future say if you were able to work full time hours and apply for a job there, they might remember your name and think “probably best not to hire that person if they were demanding things previously”. But, it also might work out. I’d just weigh it up.

The worst that could happen is that they say no. It’s worth asking the question. They might say yes! Good luck

I did exactly that and it worked out for me. Worth a shot.

I've negotiated into part time the last three times I've been offered a full time job. The trick is to be at the stage where you're offered it and then ask. That way, they know they want you, so you have some weight on your side. Don't ask up front because that just makes you a high maintenance candidate. Remember that interviews are for them to work out if they want you and for you to work out if you want them. It's not one way. If they can't offer you a working pattern that works for you, you can turn them down.

I’ve applied for 3 full time jobs and when they offered me the top negotiated part time.
I’ve also had one job where a second candidate suddenly appeared when I asked about part time working.

Personally I would ask at offer time, but it depends how long it will take you to apply and how pissed off you’ll be if they say no. (It’s hard to justify saying no so you might force their hand whereas if you asked now they would find it easier to day no)!!

Good luck!

There's no harm in asking, you have nothing to lose. It might depend on how part time you mean. If you're looking for 3 days a week it might be an unlikely option for a job that's advertised as full time. I applied for a job advertised as full time and asked if 4 days would be considered. They said yes, I applied and got the job on a 4 day week. If you need school hours it might be that they consider that.

Worked for me too.
Sent in an application with a covering letter saying I was just interested in a part time position of 3 or 4 days a week.

Depends how part time. I've had two candidates ask about pt hours for a ft job in recent years, one asked during interview and wanted 3 days, that was an outright no. The other waited until I'd offered the job, she wanted 4.5 days which we agreed to. We'll agree 30 hours in our department if asked but it's a full time job, the workload doesn't get reduced.

I did it and I got the job. You don't know unless you try.

Hmm, I don't think asking about part time necessarily makes you a 'high maintenance candidate', but it will depend on the employer and/or recruiter. If it's via a recruitment agency I'd say don't mention it until interview or offer stage when you're actually dealing with the employer. Agencies probably won't even put you forward otherwise.

A lot of employers advertise roles as 'flexibility considered' or similar. Or you might find info about their flexibility on their careers website. For those types of jobs it's probably ok to ask earlier in the process.

I don’t see why not. You could even frame it as ‘I was wondering if there were any part time opportunities available’ and they might consider you or have something that fits.

Realistically what do you lose by asking?

I did this and it worked out. I got 3 days pw and time to spend with kids. They got a bargain.

I asked about part time when they invited me for interview so they had time to think about it.

I did this with my current role. Asked if they could possibly consider a job share so I could do 21hr. They said they would think about it and let me know. They offered me reduced hours -30 - still more than I had wanted but they could be flexible around school runs so I agreed. Am still there and now full time as my children have grown up since then.

Doesn’t hurt to ask but they may not give you the role of you can’t be flexible too.

What level are you? I've found v senior people can often negotiate these things than say an entry-level / middling position. That said it doesn't hurt to ask.

Thanks everyone, I'm middle management considering a moving to a slightly more junior role (well same tasks but without management responsibilitie) - moving from local govt to charity.

I feel like they'd get value for money with me. I'm totally fine with working longer hours from home but would need to manage school run.

In my current job I'd been full time for years so they were fully receptive to me going part time once my DC came along.

After all these comments I'm considering applying and saying within the application that I'd like to be considered on a pt basis.

I feel like if I just cold call and ask they will probably just say no, or maybe even a bland "potentially for the right candidate"

I feel like if I wait until offer stage (if that happened) without mentioning it until that point, then I've tripped them up a bit and they might think I'm a player.

This is a real challenge of being a single parent. Jobs that casually mention, "may be required on evenings", "may have to travel"make me feel totally despondent about my chances of getting a decent job.

Feels like my current choice is stick with toxic environment that is creating anxiety but is brill for childcare, or leap to a more palatable job but have a costly childcare challenge and miss time with DC.

Have you checked whether you are entitled to any support re childcare Bill's- working tax credits, tax free childcare etc.

I've negotiated down to 30 hours twice, second time (my current job) was a bit hesitant and it was accepted on the basis that I work some hours every day - I now do 3 long days in the office and 2 shorter ones at home that allow me to do both school runs that day. I use wraparound for the other three days.

I mentioned it at interview stage

My current (part time) job was advertised as full time. I knew I was very well qualified, so I sent an application blowing all my own trumpets, and at the very end I just wrote something along the lines of "at this time I am only looking for a part-time role, but if you are able to consider part-time applicants then please keep me in mind". I think it's always worth a try 🤷‍♀️

Do it. You have nothing to lose. Could you ask if they could be flexible with the hours rather than part time straight off if you can cover all the hours, just not from the office from 9-5?